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GCPS Leaders Participate in Future Ready Summit

Goochland County Public Schools is sending a team of school district leaders to Raleigh, North Carolina, Feb. 11-12 to participate in the first of 12 Future Ready Regional Summits, designed to help district leaders improve teaching and learning through the effective use of technology. President Obama announced the regional summits at the ConnectED to the Future ConnectED to the Future Convening, hosted at the White House Nov. 19, 2014. The summits are being hosted by the U.S. Department of Education and the Alliance for Excellent Education at N.C. State’s Friday Institute for Educational Innovation.

“We are honored to participate and eager to learn from our colleagues,” remarked division superintendent, James Lane. In addition to the superintendent, other participants are Dr. Steve Geyer, assistant superintendent for instruction, Dr. John Hendron, director of strategy and innovation, and Jenn Rucker, principal of Goochland Middle School.

Dr. Lane and the division leadership are furthering Goochland’s commitment to becoming future ready by engaging in a series of workshops that offer expert support to create or build upon an existing digital learning plan that aligns with instructional best practices, is implemented by highly trained teachers, and leads to personalized learning experiences for all students, particularly those from traditionally underserved communities.

“Superintendents provide critical leadership to ensure that every child in their district benefits from what we know matters and what we know works for kids,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “The Future Ready Regional Summits will be a forum where local leaders can share knowledge with their peers, engage leaders from outside their region and better equip themselves with skills and tools necessary to provide students with what they need to be successful in life.”

The summits are an important step toward realizing the goals of the ConnectED Initiative announced by President Obama in 2013 to connect 99 percent of students to igh-speed Internet and empower teachers with the technology they need to transform teaching and learning. The regional summits are expected to engage more than 1,300 district leaders nationwide. The other 11 Regional Summits will be in Vancouver, Washington; Baltimore, Maryland; Atlanta, Georgia; Phoenix, Arizona; West Warwick, Rhode Island; St. Louis, Missouri; Redwood City, California; Denver, Colorado; Wadsworth, Illinois; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Dallas, Texas.

“Future ready is about helping district leaders leverage technology to empower teachers, engage students, and close persistent equity gaps by creating a learning environment where all students have access to the tools and expertise they need to be prepared for the future,” said Richard Culatta, director of the Education Department’s Office of Educational Technology (OET).

The summits are open to district leadership teams that have made a commitment to developing the human and technological capacity needed to transform teaching and personalize learning using digital tools, by signing the Future Ready District Pledge. Already, more than 1,500 district superintendents nationwide have taken the pledge.

For more information about the OET, including resources for students, parents and educators, visit http://tech.ed.gov. #FutureReady